Week 5 was another up-and-down week for fantasy managers, with six NFL teams putting at least 35 points on the board and a ton of big fantasy scores. Unfortunately, we had another rash of significant injuries to fantasy-relevant players, which have created holes on fantasy rosters everywhere. Your league has probably split into the haves and have-nots. There are teams that can start to look ahead and plan for the stretch run, and then there are teams that are in win-now mode moving forward each week. This should make for a good trading environment.
As usual, I’m looking for players who are either positive regression candidates or breakout candidates. These are players I believe are undervalued relative to their rest of season outlook. Of course, the hardest part of these trade target articles is recommending what to give up to acquire the player. I’ll do my best to outline the player archetypes that I want to trade away and give examples of trades I think are good value, but ultimately, you can only trade the players who are on your roster. To help with crafting your trade offer, I recommend using our Rest-of-Season fantasy football rankings and fantasy football trade analyzer to come up with a reasonable deal, but still a win for your team.
Buy-Low Targets Ahead of Week 6 Fantasy Football
Derrick Henry, RB, BAL
There is real fear among Derrick Henry managers right now. The whispers that the 31-year-old RB might be washed are growing louder after he has averaged just 37 rushing yards per game in his last four outings.
The concern is valid, but I’m not giving up on King Henry yet. Looking at the broader context of his performances, I think it’s too early to say he has lost a step. Henry was awesome in Week 1 against the Bills and then two of his duds came against the Browns and Lions, who both rank in the top five of rush EPA allowed per play for the season.
I can’t definitively say that Derrick Henry is going to go back to being an elite RB1 after the Ravens bye, but I think you can get enough of a discount to make it worth finding out. The outlook for the next two weeks isn’t great with Lamar Jackson not expected back until Week 8, but after that, Baltimore should have their dynamic backfield duo together again.
Their schedule for the stretch run is pretty favorable as well, with the Bears, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets and Bengals all on tap from Week 8 to Week 13. Every single one of those teams ranks 21st or worse in rush EPA allowed per play, suggesting they should be favorable matchups for the Ravens ground game.
If you have a winning record right now, it is worth making an offer for Henry. If that manager has a losing record, they might be desperate enough to take someone from the Jordan Mason, J.K. Dobbins tier for their perceived floor.
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Woody Marks, RB, HOU
Yes, I know the Texans are on bye in Week 6. That is what makes this the perfect time to buy low on Woody Marks, with many fantasy managers feeling burned after starting him for the first time this season. The rookie put up a total dud in Week 5, scoring just 2.4 fantasy points. The Texans are now on a bye and there are some vague rumors that Joe Mixon is ‘progressing’ with his rehab. Marks managers likely went from thinking they had an every-week starter to wondering if they can ever start this guy again. Now is the time to pounce and take advantage of that uncertainty to acquire an ascending player.
Nick Chubb has been a bit better than expected, but I think this will be a situation where the rookie’s role continues to grow over the course of the season as the oft-injured veteran fades down the stretch. The fantasy point totals make the Week 5 results look worse than they are for Marks because Chubb happened to rip off a 27-yard TD run. The rookie handled seven carries compared to eleven for Nick Chubb. Both players had one target, so that works out to a 60/40 opportunity split in favor of Chubb in a game where the Texans had the lead the entire time.
We often see teams give a bump in playing time to rookies after their bye week, and I expect that to be the case for Marks. Chubb is not their long-term solution at the position. The veteran will remain involved, but I expect the playing time to gradually shift toward Marks if he continues to perform well. In a few weeks, I think we will be looking back on Week 5 as an outlier for an ascending player.
To be clear, there is still some amount of risk that Mixon could return this year, but the level of uncertainty surrounding his injury and return timeline makes me think it is unlikely we see him in 2025. But until he is ruled out for the year, that possibility may make it tempting for Marks managers to cash out, and I want to be on the other side of that trade.
I would love to trade someone like D’Andre Swift for Marks, and with Swift coming off his bye this week, you probably have a good shot to get that deal done if the Marks manager needs to fill a starting roster spot.
George Kittle, TE, SF
Not a ton of analysis I can give here, as Kittle has only played in one game this season. But let this be your reminder that he exists, he’s a baller and he should be back in the lineup soon. He is still expected to miss Week 6, so this is probably the last chance to acquire him at a discount.
The 49ers have looked good on offense pretty much regardless of who has been on the field, which makes me more confident in Kittle’s fantasy value. Once Kittle is back, he should be a focal point of the offense once again, and the elite TE landscape is pretty bleak, which makes his return an interesting opportunity to get a leg up on your competition.
It is unlikely you will be able to make a TE for TE swap that makes sense, so I see this as an opportunity to trade across positions. If the Kittle manager recently lost a starting RB or WR to injury, you can try to do a deal to move someone like Cam Skattebo or DK Metcalf in order to add Kittle.
